WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT GM FOODS

 Be careful of what you eat - many foods in the supermarkets today are genetically modified.Whether genetically modified (GM) foods are safe or harmful is still controversial. Most foods we eat may contain ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs)--everything from baby formula and food to our dairy to even our meat. If you live in Europe, avoiding GM foods is easier since laws require labeling. However in the US and Canada food manufacturers are not required to label if their food is genetically modified or not.

The most intelligent comment from my last blog came from Dave S.  I will try to answer his questions briefly

The first question was "what is GM foods and what are not GMO foods?"  Please refer to this link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food

ADVANTAGES OF GM FOODS

Resists herbicides,pesticides and diseased plants
Cold and drought tolerence, protecting our food supply
Avoids malnutrition in many countries
Reduces costs of pharmaeuticals

DISADVANTAGES AND CRITICISMS  OF GM FOODS

Environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials have all raised concerns about GM foods, and criticized agribusiness for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion about GM foods. Even the Vatican19 and the Prince of Wales20 have expressed their opinions. Most concerns about GM foods fall into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks, and economic concerns.

Unintended harm to other organisms
Reduced effectiveness of pesticides
Gene transfer to non-target species
Allergenicity such as people allergic to peanuts
Unknown effects on human health because of added chemicles in foods
No labelling of GM foods if desired not to purchase
Economic concerns very costy to produce

For more detail information on this topic, please go to
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

Genetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the world's hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. Yet there are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, international policy and food labeling. Many people feel that genetic engineering is the inevitable wave of the future and that we cannot afford to ignore a technology that has such enormous potential benefits. However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.

LET US DEMAND GM LABELING ON ALL OUR FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTS